multi-touch

Computers
February 22, 2012
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Patent shows Google may bring Android to desktops

By on February 22, 2012 at 3:35 PM.

Patent shows Google may bring Android to desktops

Google may be in the process of bringing its mobile operating system to desktop and notebook computers, according to a recent patent filing. The patent, which was discovered by Patently Apple, showcases desktop control features similar to Apple’s multitouch MacBook trackpad and Magic Trackpad. The current Android operating system has been designed for touch commands and actions, however in the future it may be expanded to support different means of control, Google said in the patent overview. Using a multitouch trackpad, a user can “directly interact with graphical elements located at the current pointer location as if they are using a touchscreen device, and perform traditional touchscreen operations (e.g., dragging/flinging content, scrolling).” Following Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility, it is believed that the Mountain View-based company will now explore a variety of new hardware products. More →

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mobile
May 31, 2011
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Apple iWork now available for iPhone and iPod touch

By on May 31, 2011 at 8:26 PM.

Apple iWork now available for iPhone and iPod touch

Apple on Tuesday officially announced that its iWork productivity applications, including Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, are now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. Apple has completely redesigned the applications to take advantage of iOS’s multitouch features. “Now you can use Keynote, Pages, and Numbers on iPhone and iPod touch to create amazing presentations, documents, and spreadsheets right in the palm of your hand,” Philip Shiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said. “The incredible Retina display, revolutionary multi-touch interface and our powerful software make it easy to create, edit, organize, and share all of your documents from the iPhone 4 or iPod touch.” The applications offer improved document management and a tools button in the toolbar for quickly sharing documents without closing the application. Keynote, Pages, and Numbers are available in the iTunes App Store now for $9.99 each. Existing iWork for iPad users can upgrade for free, and the Keynote Remote is available for $0.99. Hit the jump for the full press release. More →

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General
April 2, 2011
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New Apple iPod nano to contain a camera, keep form factor?

By on April 2, 2011 at 11:41 AM.

New Apple iPod nano to contain a camera, keep form factor?

That’s what it’s looking like according to a leaked image from Apple.pro, a site that has in the past leaked details and images on Apple products before their announcement and release. From what we can see, the seventh generation iPod nano would keep the same form factor as the existing model, though would add a relatively large camera sensor to the back of the small multi-touch music player. We’re betting that we’ll see the new iPod nano with camera appear at one of Apple’s traditional fall music events later this year. More →

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mobile
January 12, 2011
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New goodies found in iOS 4.3; multitouch gestures for iPad, more

By on January 12, 2011 at 5:17 PM.

New goodies found in iOS 4.3; multitouch gestures for iPad, more

Following news that iOS 4.3 beta 1 has been seeded to developers, Apple’s servers are no doubt being hammered by anxious developers looking to explore all the new features. We pinged a few of our dev friends for feedback on new additions they’ve found and here’s what we have so far:

  • Personal hotspot capabilities for GSM devices — as we exclusively reported earlier today
  • AirPlay support for third-party native apps and third-party Web apps
  • Redesigned FaceTime icon
  • Multi-touch gesture support for iPad — “This beta release contains a preview of new Multi-Touch gestures for iPad. You can use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen; swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar; and swipe left or right between apps. We are providing this preview before releasing them to the public to understand how these gestures work with your apps.”
  • Configurable slide switch for iPad — users can now decide whether the hardware switch above the volume rocker on the iPad controls mute or rotation lock
  • iAd full screen banners on the iPad — bigger ads… just what iPad users have been clamoring for

Interestingly, iOS 4.3 appears to also have dropped support for Apple second-generation iPhone — the iPhone 3G — and its second-generation iPod touch. This could make the current build Apple’s final software release for these devices.

UPDATE: Several readers have emailed us to point out that enthusiast blog iSpazio may have uncovered a little gem. References to the following effects have been found in the iOS 4.3 code, and they might be introduced as live video effects for video capture and FaceTime calls:

  • Thermal Camera
  • X-ray
  • Kaleidoscope
  • Normal
  • Tunnel of Light
  • Collapse
  • Turbine
  • Enlarge
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Business
October 30, 2010
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Apple files suit against Motorola for multi-touch patent infringement

By on October 30, 2010 at 12:35 PM.

Apple files suit against Motorola for multi-touch patent infringement

Apple blog Patently Apple is reporting that Cupertino’s fruit company has filed two separate lawsuits against Motorola for patent infringement, specifically around multi-touch IP. The infringing products? The Motorola DROID, DROID 2, DROID X, CLIQ, CLIQ XT, BackFlip, Devour, Devour i5, and Charm 1. That is just about every Android Motorola handset in the United States. Apple’s lawsuits cover six specific patent infringements, and we have them listed out after the break. Someone needs to tell all these tech companies to hide their kids, hide their wives, and hide they husbands, too, ‘cuz everybody gettin’ sued out here.

[Via 9to5Mac] More →

146 Comments
General
July 5, 2010
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Microsoft to introduce new Arc Touch multi-touch mouse?

By on July 5, 2010 at 10:06 PM.

Microsoft to introduce new Arc Touch multi-touch mouse?

microsoft-arc-touch-leak

A product listing for a multi-touch mouse, dubbed the Arc Touch, from Microsoft has made its debut at several European online retailers. Details are sparse but the branding suggests that this new mouse may be the next generation of Microsoft’s current Arc mouse which offers a comfortable, curved shape but lacks multi-touch. Further adding a dose of credibility to the rumor is the fact that the domain name “arctouchmouse.com” was registered by Microsoft in March and points to Bing as a placeholder. Windows 7 users with a need for a mouse and a desire for multi-touch may want to hold off on buying that cheap $10 mouse from the big box retailer down the street and give Microsoft some time to possibly make this mouse official.

[Via istartedsomething] More →

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Rumor
July 2, 2010
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Leaked Windows Phone 7 smartphone from HTC: 4.5" Super AMOLED display and 1.5GHz processor

By on July 2, 2010 at 4:26 PM.

Leaked Windows Phone 7 smartphone from HTC: 4.5" Super AMOLED display and 1.5GHz processor

htc-hd3-windows-phone-7

As with any leak, we suggest you approach this with a healthy amount of skepticism, but if a post made to PConline is to be believed, this upcoming Windows Phone 7 handset from HTC — the HD3 — is going to be an absolute beast. We mean, take a look at the purported specs:

  • 4.5″ WXGA Super AMOLED multi-touch display
  • 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash
  • 720p HD video recording
  • 1080p HD playback
  • Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
  • 3G / 4G connectivity
  • 32GB microSD support
  • 1GB RAM / 1GB ROM
  • 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor
  • 1800 mAh battery
  • 115mm x 65mm x 10mm

Like we said, this is strictly a rumor, but how great would it be if it all came true?

[Via Gizmodo] More →

93 Comments
Rumor
June 23, 2010
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Rumor: Apple to introduce iMac with iOS support within 60 days

By on June 23, 2010 at 7:03 PM.

Rumor: Apple to introduce iMac with iOS support within 60 days

ios-imac

According to one of LOOPRumors’ sources, Apple will sometime in the next 60 days host a special event gathering to introduce a refreshed iMac. No ordinary iMac, it is alleged that the new model will feature “a touch interface” meant for running iOS which seems to indicate the presence of a Multi-Touch display. It’s said that this move will not only allow Apple to gauge how consumers react to a touchscreen desktop, but also aide developers with the creation of iOS applications. Anyone think there’s something to this? More →

61 Comments
General
June 7, 2010
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Apple's Magic Trackpad leaks out hours ahead of WWDC keynote

By on June 7, 2010 at 5:00 AM.

Apple's Magic Trackpad leaks out hours ahead of WWDC keynote

apple-magic-trackpad-rumor

Rumors of a multi-touch trackpad for desktops Macs have been along for ages, but the last time we really heard of them was last October. Since then it’s essentially been relegated to the annals of Apple rumor history, but oh look! Just hours before Steve Jobs & Co. are to take to the stage at Moscone Center for the WWDC 2010 keynote, a trio of photos said to be of the mythical multi-touch accessory have surfaced by way of Engadget. The images look extremely convincing, but let’s try to not lose our heads over a rumor this early in the morning. We’ve got a long day ahead of us. More →

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General
April 14, 2010
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Is the mysterious squared Motorola Android slider, the Twist?

By on April 14, 2010 at 6:37 AM.

Is the mysterious squared Motorola Android slider, the Twist?

motorola-twist

What you see above might just be the entire spec sheet for that mysterious Android slider from Motorola we caught a glimpse of the other day. Allegedly known as the Twist, the strange smartphone is said to measure in at 67mm-squared and 15.8mm thick, and possess a rather underwhelming feature set which includes a 2.8″ QVGA multitouch display, 3 megapixel camera, aGPS, Wi-Fi, dual-band HSPA (850/1900MHz), 700MHz OMAP 3410 processor and 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM. The slide mentions the Twist as running Android 1.5, so unless the information is badly outdated, it looks like those rumors of the device running Android 2.1 in conjunction with MOTOBLUR were wishful thinking. That is if any of this is even real.

[Via Android Central] More →

20 Comments
Hardware
April 3, 2010
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Tell us your iPad story

By on April 3, 2010 at 9:01 AM.

Tell us your iPad story

ipadToday is just about as big a day as possible in the tech world, as literally hundreds of thousands of Americans will be waiting in line at retail stores or waiting patiently at home for the UPS man so they can finally get their hands on the Apple iPad, a gadget that even the most computer illiterate by now know all too well. Easily one of the most polarizing gadgets to come out in the past decade, many of its new owners will view the iPad as the pinnacle of personal tech while others will sorely regret spending their tax rebate on something they could easily have gone without. With this in mind, we want to know just what it is you, our loyal readers, think of your new gear. Is it worth all the hype, or are you already bored of it and planning on giving it to your mom on Mother’s Day? Let us know your thoughts when you get one today!

P.S. We’re just snapping some pics and giving the thing the once over, so expect an initial hands on very shortly. We’ll put up a full review once we get to spend some alone time with the thing.

99 Comments
Software
February 8, 2010
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Android 2.1 update for the Motorola DROID rolling out this week

By on February 8, 2010 at 11:31 PM.

Android 2.1 update for the Motorola DROID rolling out this week

DroidLarge

Motorola DROID users as a whole are a pretty happy bunch, but after finally getting their first taste of official multi-touch, we can’t help but blame them for wanting a whole lot more. The good news on this front is that Android 2.1 for the DROID will be made available next week, according to Motorola’s Facebook page. Motorola has not detailed what the update will encompass, but here’s what Engadget has been told:

  • The current test build is Android 2.1 version 1
  • The browser will have multi-touch
  • Google Googles is pre-installed
  • No visual changes to the homescreen or app drawer
  • Active wallpapers aren’t included, but the fancy widgets that made their debut with the Nexus One are

Most of us probably agree that things like multi-touch in the browser are big news, but we can’t help but eagerly wait to see what all the Negative Nancy’s out there have to say about some of the nifty features that will allegedly be left behind. Regardless, we’ll be sure to give you all a shout as soon as the update starts trickling out. More →

69 Comments
Hardware
February 5, 2010
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JooJoo enters production, ships this month

By on February 5, 2010 at 6:19 AM.

JooJoo enters production, ships this month

joojoo

It might have legal issues galore thanks to Chandra Rathakrishnan’s legendary row with Michael Arrington, but the internet tablet formerly known as the CrunchPad has finally entered into production and should begin shipping later this month. To retail for $499 USD, the JooJoo features a 12.1″ multi-touch capacitive display with native resolution of 1366 x 768, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, 4GB SSD, front-facing camera, accelerometer, support for Flash (HD Flash will be all systems go when 10.1 comes out of beta) as well as a bunch of givens like integrated speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB port. Also announced today is Fusion Garage’s intent to open an app web store in which JooJoo owners will be able to grab whatever developers can make using some proprietary “but standards driven” APIs. Rathakrishnan et al are rather confident that their device will be able to take on competitors such as the HP Slate and Apple iPad, even going so far as to say of the later that the JooJoo is bigger, fully supports Flash (the real internet) and will beat its major competitors to the market, but one has to wonder what it’s all for in a day and age where most people are brand-conscious to the point where they’ll often turn away from something far better. We guess you have to start somewhere. More →

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